1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to printing and, in particular, to systems and methods that enable covers to be printed for print jobs.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many instances in which it is desirable to provide a cover for printed materials. By way of example, when a student intends to submit a research paper, it is customary to provide a cover for the paper. Such a cover can be purchased from an office supply store, for example.
Typically, two types of covers are usedxe2x80x94transparent covers and opaque covers. Transparent covers are convenient to use because a cover sheet that includes the title of the paper, for example, can be viewed through the transparent cover. However, these transparent covers oftentimes do not provide a significant visual impact to the reader. In contrast, opaque covers can be formed in a variety of colors and can incorporate colored design elements to provide a more significant visual impact to a reader. Unfortunately, opaque covers typically are manufactured in a relatively limited number of styles. Additionally, customizing such an opaque cover to include information, such as a title, oftentimes is done with handwritten text and, therefore, can appear unprofessional. Therefore, there is a need for improved systems and methods that address these and/or other shortcomings of the prior art.
The present invention involves printing covers for print jobs. In this regard, an embodiment of a print system in accordance with the invention includes a printing device that is operative to receive information corresponding to a print job. The printing device also is operative to receive a request for a cover to be printed in association with the print job, and print the print job and the cover. In particular, the printing device automatically places the cover and the print job in a sequence so that the cover immediately precedes a first page of the print job.
An embodiment of a method in accordance with the invention includes: receiving information corresponding to a print job; receiving a request for a cover to be printed in association with the print job; providing a selection of cover templates; enabling an operator to select a cover template from among the selection of cover templates; and printing the print job and the cover, the cover corresponding to the cover template selected.
Another embodiment of a method in accordance with the invention includes: receiving a request for a cover to be printed in association with a print job; providing a selection of cover templates; enabling an operator to select a cover template from among the selection of cover templates; and enabling the print job and the cover to be printed, the cover corresponding to the cover template selected.
Still another embodiment of a method in accordance with the invention includes: receiving a request for digital information corresponding to a cover to be printed in association with a print job, the request being received via a communication network; accessing digital information corresponding to a cover, the digital information being stored in memory; and providing the digital information via the communication network.
An embodiment of a computer-readable medium in accordance with the invention includes logic configured to receive information corresponding to a print job and logic configured to receive a request for a cover to be printed in association with the print job. The computer-readable medium also incorporates logic configured to enable the print job and the cover to be printed such that the cover and the print job are automatically placed in a sequence with the cover immediately preceding a first page of the print job.
An embodiment of a computer-readable medium in accordance with the invention includes: logic configured to receive a request for a cover to be printed in association with a print job; logic configured to provide an operator with a graphical representation of a cover template available for printing; logic configured to enable the operator to select the cover template for printing; and logic configured to enable printing of the print job and the cover, the cover corresponding to the cover template.